I know I failed to post this last year for what I read in 2022. So, here is what I read this past year. As always, these are listed in the order of reading and not any kind of ranking.
The Shadow Lamp * Stephen R. Lawhead
Book four in the Bright Empires series, continues with many of the same characters and a few new ones. The mystery of the Skin Map underscore a threat to the entire universe. The story is a bit pulpy and not Lawhead’s best (I’m speaking of the series as a whole), but still an enjoyable read for fans of Sci-fi and to a lesser extent, fantasy.
Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in your Yard * Douglas W. Tallamy
This continues his ideas expressed in Bringing Nature Home. Essentially, if you want to “save the planet” (a phrase full of hubris) start with your yard and your neighborhood. If you’ve read about this stuff before, you won’t find any new insights, but it bears repeating. This is as good as any place to start for backyard ecology.
Why They Can’t Write * John Warner
The author goes into a lament about poor writing from students and lays some of the blame on us teachers. He does, however, offer some interesting techniques that he has offered to his own students. One of the better writing books that I have ever read.
Fox 8 * George Saunders
A short read about a fox who learns to read English and what that might mean for him and his fellow creatures.
Cinderbiter * Martin Shaw & Tony Hoagland
An interesting collection of Celtic tales and poems. Martin Shaw is a fascinating guy. Check him out.
The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self * Carl Trueman
Trueman traces the existential problems of the 21st Century to its beginnings. I don’t agree with all the blame he places on the Romantics, but I can see why he does. He places blame on plenty of other sources as well.
Gay-Neck: The Story of a Pigeon * Dhan Ghopal Mukerji
The 1928 Newbery Award winner. It’s about a pigeon. Like the bird, not terrible, but not that interesting, either.
Transfiguring Time * Olivier Cleḿent
A bit of an Orthodox treatment of the theology of time. I know I’m guilty of wasting her. “The Hindu ascetic wishes to abolish time by destroying memory: the Christian ascetic purifies time through repentance.”
The Grapes of Wrath * John Steinbeck
Yep, another one of those “classics” that I finally got around to. Maybe a bit of a socialist fantasy, maybe not, but a decent read.
Continental Ambitions: Roman Catholics in North America * Kevin Starr
A survey of the quite-often tragic colonization efforts of Europeans. Starr looks at the Spanish (who had some instances of wonder-workers), the French, and the English.
A Farewell to Arms * Ernest Hemingway
Another “classic.” I wasn’t impressed.
No God, No Science? * Michael Hanby
A rather dense book of a Thomistic view of science. I think I understood about 70% of it. Interesting, but difficult at times.
At the Back of the North Wind * George MacDonald
A decent “children’s” meditation on death through a story.
The Unseen Realm * Michael Heiser
Usually, I’ll read at least one book a year that creates a palpable change within me. The Unseen Realm was the first one for 2023. Heiser’s contention is that reading the OT carefully reveals a cosmos not just filled with angels and demons, but also of other divine beings, “gods” as it were. An interesting, if not controversial thesis. Read it to see if you agree or not.
Woods Runner * Gary Paulsen
A good YA novella about a boy and the Revolutionary War.
The Everlasting People: G. K. Chesterton and the First Nations * Matthew Milliner
Two friends of mine run a podcast, The Regeneration Podcast, and late in ‘22 they had Milliner on discussing his book about looking at American Indians through the lens of Chesterton. It was an excellent episode and an even better book. If you are interested in the intersection between natives and Christianity, this is one book you should put in your quiver.
The Trumpeter of Krakow * Eric P. Kelly
I’m slowly making my way through Newbery Medal winners (children’s literature) and this one was the 1929 recipient and for good reason. A tale of Medieval Poland and a mysterious jewel, thieves, barbarians, and more.
The Aeneid * Virgil
Kind of a 2nd rate Odyssey. I can see why Dante honored Virgil; still I prefer Homer’s tales over this one.
The Civilization of the Middle Ages * Norman F. Cantor
A good survey of the storied period of European history. Maybe a bit slow in parts, but overall, if you want to know about this period, you could do worse than reading this.
The Scarlet Pimpernel * Baroness Orczy
This is either the second or third time I’ve read this. It still holds up for those readings. A good adventure to read to your children or yourself which takes place during the French Revolution.
The Hidden Geometry of Flowers * Keith Critchlow
A fascinating study of the mathematics found in the floral world. Lots of photos and charts as well. Even if you don’t like math, you should find something worthwhile here.
The Man Who Was Thursday * G. K. Chesterton
Another go-round for this one as well. Number two. A bit of a mystery, a bit of a farce. Good old turn-of-the-Century English anarchism meets the Maker of the Universe.
Sophia in Exile * Michael Martin
One half of the Regeneration podcast, Mr. Martin (no relation) pursues the enigma of Sophiology. A flavor of Christianity, I suppose. Not a denomination, not a school of theology, more of an attitude. You could start with this book or two others he has on the subject. The beginning almost scared me off–it started to get a bit academic, but came quickly around and made for an enjoyable read giving a survey of a Sophiological landscape.
A Catechism of Nature: Meditations on Creation’s Primary Realities * George Willcox Brown III
A series of short essays on the meaning of creation and our place in it.
Hitty: Her First Hundred Years * Rachel Field
This was the 1930 Newbery Medal winner. It’s about a doll. I certainly wouldn’t have had any interest in this as a boy and I can’t say that as a man I found it compelling, yet I can see its merit. The travels of a doll through the 19th and into the early 20th Centuries.
Pericles * William Shakespeare
I’m on the 5th act as of writing this. Overall, this is an enjoyable read (much better to see performed, of course). The travails of a virtuous prince as he is separated by misfortune from his beloved wife and daughter. This doesn’t rank up there with Shakespeare’s greatest “hits,” but it definitely deserves a reading or watching.
A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 * W. Phillip Keller
There was something about the writing itself that didn’t grab me, yet I can provide a couple of positive takeaways. The book lives up to its title and you should learn something about shepherding if you don’t already know it. Additionally, the end reflection was the best thing about the book. Don’t you have good reason to brag about your Good Shepherd? Why aren’t you?
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